Monday, March 28, 2011

Italian great for under $ 15.00

Trader Joe's has a few 'La Loggia' wines in stock pretty much year-round. I have had two, the Barbaresco and the Barolo. They are both inexpensive examples of two top-end wines from Piedmont. These wines from top estates are often in the $60-100 + range so finding one under $ 20 makes me suspect. In the case of the 2005 Barolo for $ 14.99 , I was surprised to find a really terrific wine that represented a classic style of the region-not some westernized version without the local character. The almost 'pruny' taste leads me to believe that unlike more pricey versions of Barolo, this one is drinkeable now and should not be aged further. The 2006 is available now and I'll be tasting it soon. For now, you'll have to settle for my review of this one and my hope is that it is still on the shelves for you to try. 8 swiggs.